“Mmm hmm,” I said absently as I kept scrolling through the restaurant supply catalog online.
“What are you doing over there that’s more important than listening to what I was saying?” he grumbled.
“I was listening. Some human came into your store and acted like a human, so you’re annoyed.” He hadn’t been wrong. I hadn’t been listening, but most of Az’s stories followed the same pattern, so I figured it was a pretty safe bet.
He raised one eyebrow and glared at me.
“Am I wrong?”
“No, but that isn’t the point. The point is, you’re supposed to listen to me when I’m telling you how ridiculous they are.”
“Yes, yes, humans are a blight on the planet and a huge inconvenience to your cold, hard demon heart.”
“Exactly. I should seriously start torturing them or something; they deserve it.”
I chuckled to myself because we both knew Az wasn’t about to start torturing anyone. He just didn’t have it in him. He was grumpy, sure, but at the end of the day, he had a good soul.
“Now, back to what you’re doing that’s so important?” He raised one eyebrow and waited for me to answer.
“Declan doesn’t like beer, so I’m trying to find something he can drink.”
“He seemed to like beer just fine yesterday. Boy’s a lightweight, though.”
“He did sample quite a few different vendors' wares, but you’re right. It hit him pretty hard. I swear by the time he was done, I had to practically carry him to his bed. But he was only doing that to be nice. You should’ve seen the face he made each time someone handed him another beer to try.” I pictured his adorable scrunched-up nose and shook my head. “Trust me, he didn’t like any of it. So I want to find something he does like.”
He smirked at me and shook his head. “I thought you said, and I quote,I run a simple bar with no frou-frou drinks. If people don’t like it, they can go elsewhere.” He did his best to imitate my voice, but he did a horrible job of it. “You’re like a puppy on a leash with your mate.”
“I’m not a puppy, nor am I on a leash, and the rule still stands. I’m not complicating my life by adding cocktails. This isn’t for the public; it’s for him, and we don’t know he’s my mate.”
“Gideon, everyone knows it but you. The little witch is obviously your mate. Now what are you buying?”
“An espresso machine. I figured as much as he likes coffee, he’d enjoy an espresso martini.”
“He does love his coffee.”
“To the point of it being unhealthy. Hmm, I wonder if he’d be able to tell the difference if I bought decaf espresso beans.”
“I’m sure he wouldn’t know the difference.” Az wore an evil grin. One that made him look exactly like what he was… a demon.
I sighed. “He would know.”
“Yeah. He would.” Az agreed. “And not just because he’s a caffeine addict, which he is, but because he’s really coming into his powers as a kitchen witch.”
“He really is making progress,” I said, grinning proudly. “It’s like his magic had just been there waiting for him to recognize it, and once he did, it came to life.”
He’d been working with Elwood for a few weeks now, and he was working hard to make up for all the time he’d lost when he’d believed magic wasn’t real. In my opinion, his parents, specifically his father, owed him both an explanation and an apology for that.
“By the way, I think the espresso idea is good,” Az said. “Not the decaf part. The machine. Declan blends flavors when he cooks; he might actually like drinkable magic.”
“Drinkable magic?”
“You know what I mean,” he muttered. “Something that tastes like him. Coffee and cinnamon and… whatever else that boy’s made of.”
My wolf stirred at that, pleased by the thought in a way I couldn’t explain.
I tried to play it off. “I’m just trying to make him comfortable here.”
“You’re trying to make this place feel like home to him,” Az corrected. “Which is different.”
